Dante stopped in front of my old house and turned off the engine before facing me. “I figured as much. I still don’t understand why. That man you are protecting, he is not of your blood and from what I understand you have never been close, after all he stole your husband from you, so why do you insist on choosing him instead of me?”
“I’m not choosing him over you,” I said, genuinely shocked.
“But I know what you will do to him, what you have to do to protect the Organization, and I can’t condemn him to death. If you swear that no harm will come to him, then I might change my mind.
“You know I can’t swear to that. There are rules for a reason. We have to protect the secrets of the Outfit . If details about our facilities, our affairs or our traditions became public, many people you know would go to jail, including your father and me.
“He would never tell anyone about the Outfit. Antony told him about our oaths.”
“But he is not bound by them. We all keep silence because we are bound by honor and duty, and because we would all pay the price if we did not, but that man has no reason to keep our secrets now that Antonio is dead. Not everyone honors a dead man’s wish as much as you do.”
“But he loved Antony.”
“How could you know that? But even if he did, wouldn’t that make him hate our world even more?”
“What do you mean?”
“Because of the rules of the Outfit, Antonio could not live his sexuality openly. He had to hide his desires and his lover, and in the end he died because he was a Made Men. The Russians killed him because he was one of us. You see, the ‘man you are protecting has many reasons to despise our world and want it gone.
I had never considered it from that point of view and was seriously scared. What if Dante was right? I had not seen Frank since I had told him about Antonio’s death a year earlier.
He had left quickly, silent and out of it. He had not tried to contact me, and I knew only his cell phone number, but it had stopped working shortly after the funeral. I had simply assumed that Frank had wanted to eliminate anything that connected him to the Mafia. Had he talked to anyone about Antonio? About the outfit? I didn’t want to believe it. He had reason to dislike the Organization and its ways. Not only had he been forced to hide his relationship with Antonio but he hadn’t even had a chance to say hello. Neither had I. All that was left of Antonio was a burned corpse. I had never seen him. My father had forbidden me to do so. He had said there was nothing left that I could recognize. The Russians had even cut off his head before setting it on fire. The Outfit never found him.
Dante was watching me carefully. Or was he trying to manipulate me ? Even so, what he had said was the truth.
“Will you come to the door to greet my mother? She will be disappointed if you stay in the car,” I said to distract him .
Dante had a look of understanding but did not try to press the subject of Antonio’s lover. He got out of the Mercedes, walked around the hood and opened the door for me. His hand found its usual spot on my back as we made our way to the front door. I had barely rung the bell that the door was already open and my mother looked at us beaming. She was probably spying on us through the windows.
“Dante, I didn’t expect you to come. It was wonderful of you to come and see us,” she said with a wide smile. She pulled Dante into a hug. He remained stiff but gave her a brief pat on the back. At least he was against public displays of affection in general and not just toward me.
“I am only here to accompany Valentina. I don’t have time to stay. There is still a lot of work to be done.” He straightened up and Mother had no choice but to let him go.
Her face lowered. “Of course. Now that you are Chief, you have many responsibilities. It is wonderful of you to carve out time from your busy schedule to take Valentina around town.
Mom smiled at me. “You got yourself a gentleman.”
I gave Dante an “I told you so” look. A flash of something softer filled his eyes before he excused himself and went back to his car. As soon as he was gone, Mom closed the door, grabbed me by the arm, and practically dragged me into the living room. “Giovanni! Valentina is here!” she yelled.
“Dad is here?”
“I told him you were coming.
He wanted to have a word with you, too.”
I groaned.
“Don’t be like that. Your father and I are concerned about your welfare. We want to know if married life is treating you well.
“You mean you want to make sure I don’t make trouble with Dante.”
Mother puckered her lips. “You’re twisting the words in my mouth today.”
Dad entered the living room closing the twins, his plaid jacket on his shoulder. “I don’t have much time. I’ll have a meeting with the Councilor and your husband later. So how are things with you and the boss?”
“If you were to meet my husband anyway, then you could ask Dante how my marriage is going so far and if he is satisfied with me,” I said in an overly soft voice.
“Sometimes I think I was not strict enough with you. Your insolence was much more tender when you were a little girl, ” she said affectionately. I stood up and wrapped my arms around his waist. He gave me a kiss on the temple. I knew that Underboss Papa was almost as ruthless as Dante and had probably killed more men than I had, but to me he would always be the man who had carried me on his shoulders when I was younger.
“Things are going well between Dante and me, don’t worry,” I said as I walked away. “I think he still hasn’t gotten over his first wife.”
Dad exchanged a glance with Mom. “Fiore took a long time to convince Dante to get married. I’m glad he chose you. Don’t push him.”
“Listen to your father, Valentina. Men don’t like pushy women.
“What is it, I hear, that you convinced Dante to give you a job?” asked Father.
“Don’t pretend you don’t already know everything.
I bet half the Outfit is already complaining about it.”
“What do you expect? A woman of your status shouldn’t have to work,” said Mom.
“Some people don’t think women should interrupt their husbands either, and you do it all the time.”
Mother huffed. “I don’t interrupt your father.”
“You don’t?” said Dad with mock surprise. Their marriage had not always been for love. Like Dante and me, they had married for convenience, but over time they had grown fond of each other . When I saw them, it gave me new hope for my marriage.
I could not hold back a smile. “Dante doesn’t mind me working. I think he likes the fact that I want to do something useful.
“What could be more useful than raising beautiful children?
When we become grandparents?”
I gave Dad a pleading look but he shrugged. “Fiore really wants an heir to his name. Dante has responsibilities. What if he was killed without having a son to inherit his title?”
“Don’t say that. No one will be killed. I’ve already lost one husband, I won’t lose a second,” I said desperately.
Father patted my cheek. “Dante can take care of himself, but what’s wrong with having children?”
“There’s nothing wrong with that. I want children, but not because it is my duty to produce an heir. I want children because I want something to love and to love me unconditionally. God, when had this conversation ever become so horribly emotional?
“Val,” Dad said cautiously. “Did Dante do something?”
I turned a trembling smile to him, grateful for his concern but knowing it was pointless. Even if Dante had done something and I had told Father about it, he could do almost nothing. It would not go against his Chief, not even for me.
“No, he is a gentleman.” Outside the bedroom, I added quietly. Not that I minded. “It’s just really closed. I’m lonely, but working will keep me busy, so that should make things better.
“Give him time,” Dad said. I could tell he was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with my emotionality. Why were Made Men cowards when it came to expressing feelings but didn’t blink in the face of death?
He cast a glance at his Rolex, then grimaced. “I really need to go.” He gave me a kiss on the temple before leaning down to give my mother a real kiss. Then he left.
Mother patted the couch next to her. I let myself fall back with a sigh. “I really need a cake right now.”
Mom rang the doorbell and our maid came into the living room with a tray full of Italian pastries and macarons. I bet she had been waiting at the door since I had arrived. For as long as I could remember, she had always been a little too nosy.
She gave me a quick smile, set the tray down, and then disappeared again. I took a marzipan, chocolate and puff pastry delicacy and took a big bite. Mom poured me coffee, never taking her eyes off me. “Be careful with these. They are full of fat and calories. You have to make sure you take care of your body. Men don’t like fat women.
I made a show of finishing the rest of my pastry, then washed it down with coffee. “Maybe you should write a book about what men want, since you seem to know everything .” I opened my eyes wide to reduce the impact of my sharp words.
Mother shook her head before taking a dessert for herself.
“Your father is right. We should have been stricter with you.”
“You were strict with Horace and it didn’t help.”
“He’s a boy. They’re all rowdy. And he’s really doing well. He said he’s also thinking about settling down .” I doubted it. He had probably said that just to get my mother off his back. And since he didn’t live in Chicago but helped run our business in Detroit and Cleveland, our parents didn’t often get a chance to bother him. And he was a man, of course. No one cared if he slept with a new girl every night, as long as he didn’t tell them who he really was.
“I never went against your will, so I don’t know why you’re complaining. After all, I married Dante because you wanted me to.
Mother looked offended. “He is the best catch we could have hoped for. Who wouldn’t marry a man like him?”
I drank my coffee, not bothering to answer. It was a rhetorical question anyway.
“Does Dante come after you at night?” I almost spit out what was in my mouth. “I’m not going to talk to you about that, Mom.” My cheeks burned with embarrassment, and Mom gave me a complicit smile.
I loved her, but she was the most infuriating woman on this planet.
*** Enzo picked me up in the SUV. Apart from some small talk, we did not talk during the short drive. When we passed Bibiana Street, I said, “Wait. Turn the corner. I want to pay a visit to Bibiana Bonello. I promised her that I would tell her how things had gone between Dante and me. Hopefully, she would be happy to see me.
Enzo did not argue. He directed the car toward Bibi’s house and parked by the curb. “Do you want me to wait?”
I hesitated. “If you don’t mind?”
Enzo shook his head. “It’s my job. He reached behind the seat and pulled out a magazine about Oldtimers.
“It won’t take long,” I said even though Bibiana and I could have spent hours chatting.
I got out of the car and started toward the front door. I rang the doorbell, then waited. Nothing happened for a while and I was about to return to the car when the door opened.
Thomas stood in front of me. My eyes widened in surprise, then concern. “Hello Tommaso,” I said, forcing my voice to be pleasant. “I hope I haven’t come at a bad time. I wanted to talk to Bibiana. Is she here?” She is fine was the question I really wanted to ask her. Thomas was sweating, his skin was red, and his flap was still open. A feeling of dread ran through me.
Thomas uncovered his teeth in a wide smile. He took my hand between his. “She’ll be down in a moment. We always have time for Dante’s wife.
I fought the urge to pull away. His skin was damp with sweat, and the thought that the reason for his unkempt appearance had something to do with what he had done with Bibiana made me want to rub my palms together until there was no trace of him left on me. “Bibiana, hurry up . Valentina Cavallaro is here.” As if Bibiana did not know who I was.
I cautiously released my hands from her grip.
“I heard you’re taking over the casino,” Tommaso said curiously, watching me with his beady little eyes.
“Did Raphael tell you that?”
Tommaso snickered. “It wasn’t necessary. Everyone talks about it . I wouldn’t let Bibiana work, but Dante has been trying to change things in the Outfit for a while now , even before Fiore retired.”
I tried to see if I could interpret his words as treasonous, but unfortunately they were only mildly critical. Nothing that would cause Dante to put a bullet in Thomas’s head.
“Even the Outfit has to keep up with the times,” I said neutrally.
Bibiana appeared at the top of the stairs, her hair splayed , her blouse badly buttoned and shoeless. Thomas winked at me. “Please excuse me. I have a meeting with Raphael to discuss the girls tomorrow night.”
Continuing to smile was almost painful and as soon as he disappeared from sight, I abandoned the charade and ran toward Bibiana who had come down the stairs. “Hey, are you okay?”
He swallowed. “Can we talk upstairs? I really need to take a shower.”
“Of course,” I said quickly. She gave me a small smile. I followed her silently upstairs, trying to suppress my anger at Thomas. I was already looking for a way to convince Dante to kill him, and it was not something I should ever have considered. I had never been responsible for anyone’s death.
Even if Thomas was the lowest scum of the earth, I should not want him dead.
Bibiana led me to their bedroom. I pretended not to notice the rumpled sheets as I followed her into the adjoining bathroom. Bibiana and I had seen each other naked before, mostly as children, so I was not surprised when she undressed in my presence. I perched myself on the edge of the tub.
“If I had known that Thomas was in the house, I wouldn’t have come .”
“No,” Bibiana said. “I’m glad you’re here. So at least Tommaso won’t get the second round right away.”
My eyes wandered to the bruises on her hips, inner thighs and upper arms. I lowered my gaze to my lap and blinked away angry tears. Bibiana stepped into the shower and turned on the water. “Val?”
I stood up and approached the shower stall. Bibiana’s expression was pleading. “I know I shouldn’t ask, but is there anything you can do?”
“Are you doing anything that goes against Dante or the Outfit?
Anything at all?”
Bibi shook her head as the water pinned her dark hair to her forehead. “He is loyal to the Cavallaro.”
This is what I suspected. “Dante will not act unless he is a traitor, but maybe we can set him up.”
Bibiana’s eyes became huge. “If we did, you would deceive Dante . You can’t go against him, Val . I can’t ask you .” She gave a brave smile. “I’m being overly dramatic.
Women have been going through this for centuries and they have all survived.”
That may be so, but that doesn’t mean Bibiana should suffer .
She got out of the shower and I gave her a towel.
“Let’s talk about something else. How are things with you and Dante? Have you?”
I nodded, as a blush warmed my cheeks. “Twice.”
“E? Was it bad?”
“No, actually it was-” I interrupted myself, realizing what I was doing. I couldn’t talk about how much I had enjoyed being with Dante when Bibi had just been mounted by her pig of a husband. “… okay,” I finished reluctantly.
Bibi gave me a look. “I know you, Val. I can tell you are lying. You don’t have to hold back because of me. I know there are women who like sex.
“It was good,” I said.
Bibi took my hand and shook it. “It’s fine. You deserve some fun after your years with Antony.”
I wanted to hug her and squeeze her, I wanted Thomas to be killed for her, but instead I just squeezed her. “One day Thomas will be gone, and then it will be your turn.”
She nodded, but the despair in her eyes destroyed me.
“He is 52 years old. With my luck he will live another 30 years. Then I will be old and bitter.
*** Twenty minutes later I was back in the car with Enzo headed home.
As we stopped in front of the club gate, my eyes were drawn to a man standing across the street and I gasped in surprise. It was Frank.